Photo: Madison Rogers/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Mayor Michelle Wu offered an apology 34 years in the making at City Hall on Wednesday.
Willie Bennett and Alan Swanson were arrested in a police crackdown on black neighborhoods after Charles Stewart killed Carroll and their unborn child. Stewart claimed he had been carjacked by a black man.
Mayor Michelle Wu offered the Alan Swanson and the Bennett Family a formal apology.
“What was done to you was unjust, unfair, racist and wrong. At every level and at every opportunity those in power closed their eyes to the truth because the lie felt familiar,” said Wu.
Willie’s nephew Joey Bennett accepted the apology. Although a piece of paper could never be enough, he said it is a massive step forward.
“We’ve been silenced for 34 years and I hope we can move forward positively from this moment,” said Bennett.
The apology comes after a Boston Globe Series and HBO documentary “Murder in Boston: Roots, Rampage & Reckoning” put a spotlight back on the case.
WBZ NewsRadio's Madison Rogers (@MadisonWBZ) reports:
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